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2012 will be one of the more difficult years to sum up, music-wise. There were lots of great releases, but unlike other years, there wasn't an album that I fell in love with (with the exception of my No. 1 pick). Of course, I said that when I was making my list in 2000, only to realize nine years later, almost 15 albums from that year landed on my "100 Best Albums of the Decade" list.

In general, rock seemed to be in a holding pattern in 2012, ditto indie music. However, rap and R&B had a phenomenal year with not one, but three genre-changing albums: Frank Ocean's Channel Orange, Kendrick Lamar's good kid, m.A.A.d. city, and Miguel's Kaleidoscope Dream.

My top albums of 2012:

10. Beach House: Bloom

The biggest criticism I've heard about this album is it sounds too much like their last album, Teen Dream. I also heard it doesn't have many surprises. And it's too pretty. However, remove Bloom from its predecessor and listen to it on its own merits yields the same results: 11 tracks of beautiful dream pop.

9. Cat Power: Sun

Chan Marshall's medical and financial difficulties were fully exposed this fall as she was briefly hospitalized and news emerged that she was close to bankruptcy. It's unfortunate because in a more welcoming music landscape, Sun would be all over mainstream radio. The album's relatively … sunny turn is a rare marriage of accessibility and artistic vision. Nothing But Time may span 10 minutes, but the driving piano beat, Marshall's weary voice, and Iggy Pop's appearance make you want it to go on for another 10.

8. A.C. Newman: Shut Down The Streets

The birth of his son and the death of his mother caused A.C. Newman to be more direct as a songwriter. Shut Down the Streets has the feel of a warm, comforting '70s singer/songwriter LP. Adult responsibilities may permeate Newman's latest, but that doesn't mean he's lost his knack for creating insanely catchy choruses, especially on tracks like Encyclopedia of Classic Takedowns and Hostages.

7. Krallice: Years Past Matter

Krallice falls into the category of metal where your appreciation is going to depend on your tolerance for the vocalist. Like Opeth and Converge, Krallice shows amazing musicianship, but as far as his vocals, if you're adverse to either banshee-like screams or Cookie Monster-style wails, you're going to be on the defensive. Still, give Years Past Matter a few listens, and its rewards become more apparent. It's Krallice at their most brutal and melodic.

6. DIIV: Oshin

Almost everyone has a genre that they're a sucker for. For me, it's '90s-era shoegaze, a mix of squalling guitars and dream pop structures. DIIV's debut album harks back to that era, but their discipline to writing a great pop song prevent Oshin from sounding like a nostalgia ploy.

5. Frank Ocean: Channel OrangeFrank Ocean gave cash-strapped music fans one of the greatest gifts last year when he released Nostalgia, free of charge. Like Kanye West, Ocean spent years working behind the control boards. And like West, his first "official" album will likely be as iconic as Dr. Dre's The Chronic. The 10-minute Pyramids has the atmosphere and story detail that most filmmakers can't capture.

4. Tame Impala: LonerismLonerism had the unenviable task of following one of the best debut albums in the past five years. Australia's Tame Impala's Innerspeaker managed to find a way to mine fresh material from one of the most played-out genres in rock: psychedelic rock. Lonerism continues Tame Impala's winning streak with swirling guitars, and spaced-out melodies.

3. Fiona Apple: The Idler Wheel…Fiona Apple did the only thing she could to respond to fans who were upset that they had to wait five years for a new album: She made them wait seven years for another. Hard to believe it's been that long since she released Extraordinary Machine. While that album hasn't aged as well as her other works, it seems like The Idler Wheel... won't have that problem. Songs such asWerewolf and Every Single Night are innovative in their own right, but on a track like Jonathan, Apple shows she can still destroy a listener with just a few piano chords.

2. Japandroids: Celebration RockPost-Nothing was the sound of two talented, hungry musicians going into the studio with the full realization that they may never make another album again. Fortunately though, that wasn't the case as Japandroids found an audience as well as critical raves. Celebration Rock is their victory lap; the sound of a band drunk on their Replacements/Springsteen influences, but with enough integrity to keep everything together.

1. Miguel: Kaleidoscope Dream If you're a music geek who lives for lists, chances are at the beginning of the year, you begin to slot out spots in your Top 10 for albums you know will be part of your "Best of the Year" list. And there's no better thrill than to have one album from an artist you never even listened to a year before occupy the top slot. Miguel's Kaleidoscope Dream is that type of album. On the opening track, Kaleidoscope Dream sounds like it could have been at home in the late '60s, but on Use Me, it sounds like the soundtrack of 2022. More than anything else, Kaleidoscope Dream is simply a front-to-back collection of great songs, a feat that's becoming more and more rare in the age of iTunes.